Blasting damage and fragmentation of ice-filled jointed rock masses: A theoretical and numerical study

Abstract

In cold regions, water within the joints and fractures of rock masses freezes into ice, significantly influencing the transmission and attenuation of blasting stress waves, and thereby affecting rock blasting outcomes such as crack propagation and fragmentation. However, the effect of ice-filled joints on the blasting response of frozen rock masses has rarely been studied. This research examines blast-induced damage and fragmentation in such rock masses using theoretical analysis and numerical simulation. Theoretically, the transmission coefficient of blasting stress waves decreases with lower ice temperatures and greater joint thickness, but increases as the joint dip angle rises from 45° to 90°. A numerical model of ice-filled joints was developed to further analyze their impact on blasting damage and fragmentation. Comparative results show that frozen rock masses with ice-filled joints experience significantly more damage and fragmentation than those with non-filled joints. Moreover, blasting-induced damage and fragmentation vary considerably with the conditions of the ice-filled joints, including thickness, angle, length, and ice temperature. These findings offer important insights for optimizing precision blasting in ice-jointed frozen rock masses.

Keywords

rock mass blasting / ice-filled joints / rock mass fragmentation / stress wave propagation / cold regions

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